Turmeric plant is often used as a spice in food and alternative medicine. Although based on scientific research, turmeric contains curcumin proved which efficacious as antitumor, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. Faculty of Pharmacy, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta expand curcumin into new molecules, it has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and can be exploited for cancer therapy. “There are 100 new molecules that we found, eight of which have been patented,” said researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy UGM, Supardjan.

He said “curcuminoid containing turmeric that is yellow compound. it is also contain molecules of curcumin, curcumin demetoksin, and bisdemetoksin curcumin. In fact, research on curcumin had done”. Curcumin is also beneficial for diabetics to prevent clots or blood clots. This is evidenced in itself. ”I’m 18 years of diabetes. And every day I drank 1-2 cups saffron concoction.” said Supardjan.

He revealed, though the extent newly developed on curcumin only herbal medicines and have not used on chemical drug. Because it requires clinical trials with a longer time and cost of large, scientific studies of drugs from plants native to Indonesia should be developed further. “Especially for alternative medicine or herbal medicine, not only turmeric that need to be explored,” he said.

Not only cancer and diabetes, turmeric proved beneficial for patients with joint disease (osteoarthritis). Turmeric rhizome extract is also effective as anti-inflammation in patients with joint disease(osteoarthritis). This is evidenced through a study of 80 patients with osteoarthritis. Extracts of turmeric rhizome is proved to have the ability to reduce levels of MDA (malondialdehida), that is knee joint synovial fluid.